Obelisk¶
Description and use¶
Campaign source: Icewind Dale - Rime of the Frostmaiden, original fifth-edition rules. Campaign-specific mechanics below are separate from the revised core wiki.
This campaign object or grouped equipment reference is documented in the source passages below. Preserve any stated quantity, value, curse, location, or activation condition. Decorative or historical mentions do not automatically constitute available treasure.
Campaign context¶
Selected passages from the searchable transcription. The linked PDF controls if OCR punctuation differs.
An ancient obelisk stands in the shadow of the Spire of Iriolarthas. Using this obelisk and a staff of power, one can turn back time.
PDF page 236 (printed 235) — source PDF is not included in this player reference.
Unlike her companions in the ballroom (area Y19b), Veneranda is coldly calculating and fully aware of Ythryn's fate. If the characters communicate with her, she greets them warily in Loross (see the "Loross: The Netherese Tongue" sidebar on page 221) and tries to find out what has happened in the world in the centuries since Ythryn's fall. Her singular goal is to restore Ythryn to its past glory. She doesn't know why the city crashed, but she believes that the broken obelisk (see area Y21) can turn back time to repair the damage. To activate its magic, Veneranda says she needs Iriolarthas's staff of power, which he keeps in his study. She proposes that the characters break into Iriolarthas's study, steal his staff, and bring it to her. She declines to accompany them, on account of the likely danger. If they complete this mission and return with the staff, she escorts them to the obelisk and tries to activate it. If the characters are unwilling to help Veneranda achieve her goal, they quickly outlive their usefulness, and she tries to destroy them.
PDF page 250 (printed 249) — source PDF is not included in this player reference.
Everlast can manifest anywhere inside the spire and can move instantaneously between locations within it. If the characters express interest in restoring Ythryn to its former glory, he laments, "Many powerful minds have tried." If the characters mention Veneranda's plan to use Iriolarthas's staff of power and the obelisk, Everlast cautions them by saying, "That might be unwise, for the obelisk was damaged in the crash. Iriolarthas was unable to repair it." If the characters ask Everlast how to reach Iriolarthas's study, he says he can't help them, saying, "My orders prevent me from revealing the city's secrets to outsiders."
PDF page 251 (printed 250) — source PDF is not included in this player reference.
Source pages¶
PDF page 232 (printed 231) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 236 (printed 235) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 250 (printed 249) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 251 (printed 250) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 254 (printed 253) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 256 (printed 255) — source PDF is not included in this player reference. · PDF page 263 (printed 262) — source PDF is not included in this player reference.
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Import provenance¶
Source: Icewind Dale - Rime of the Frostmaiden (2020, supplied printing). Retained original campaign rules and page references. Imported from the campaign item record.